2018 Freshwater Fisheries Forums

[Wilson]

Originally Posted by thmyorke1

Yes but the remaining treble hook in the back must be barbless too. Crushing the barbs with pliers is sufficient to be legal.

These are only necessary for wild trout streams and Catch and Release areas (which are now classified into three categories, Native brook trout, Wild trout, and Brown Trout Enhancement) Check the Digest for what waters these apply to.

Trout Conservation Areas dont seem to be affected by the new gear restriction though.

Yet

[Drossi]

No issues with pinching down the barbs, been doing it for 30 years. I feel like I get better hook sets without the barb, it makes release easier, and most important it makes it easier to get said hook out of my finger or thumb when I am (often) a klutz.

[Chrisper4694]

Originally Posted by Wilson

Yet

oh i would love to see them try to pass more bs regulations...i want to see how many anglers i can get to sign a trout stamp boycott petition

[Chrisper4694]

Originally Posted by Drossi

No issues with pinching down the barbs, been doing it for 30 years. I feel like I get better hook sets without the barb, it makes release easier, and most important it makes it easier to get said hook out of my finger or thumb when I am (often) a klutz.

the barbs on trout lures are so small they don't do crap one way or another...not the point though.

what people are not getting here is that gear regulations took priority over c&r regulations...in other words, they claim they are putting these regulations in place to protect the trout, but all the places these restrictions effect are not catch and release except for the klg and belwitt (those are the only two c&r)

so instead of making all the great wild brown trout waters c&r, they restrict our gear...and we let them, and apparently many anglers are too naive to do the math

I just thought of something else...maybe a bunch of us should go and start complaining about a minimum hook size restriction. those tiny fly hooks are just way too small and too easily engulfed into the trouts' throats if we complain enough, they will pass it, that's how they operate.

[Mikey topaz]

[QUOTE=Chrisper4694;501559]oh i would love to see them try to pass more bs regulations...i want to see how many anglers i can get to sign a trout stamp boycott

[thmyorke1]

Chris from what I understand they don't want you using such gear when there's brook trout around. Because now brook trout are virtually all catch and release

Essentially if the water didn't have brook trout they'd let you use barbs and two trebles. That's why they let you take rainbows or browns but not brookies.

[Drossi]

Originally Posted by Chrisper4694

I just thought of something else...maybe a bunch of us should go and start complaining about a minimum hook size restriction. those tiny fly hooks are just way too small and too easily engulfed into the trouts' throats .

Why you hating on my small flies???? Oh wait I can't see anything smaller than a 16 so I guess I don't use small flies.

I'll debate you on the barbs on small trout spinners, I have the thumb scars to validate.

Really I'm ambivalent to the gear restrictions. I don't fish the waters that most of them cover. The ones that I do, I rarely see anyone else fishing them no matter what tackle they employ. YMMV. But my standards are far from standard.

[thmyorke1]

Originally Posted by Drossi

Why you hating on my small flies???? Oh wait I can't see anything smaller than a 16 so I guess I don't use small flies.

I'll debate you on the barbs on small trout spinners, I have the thumb scars to validate.

Really I'm ambivalent to the gear restrictions. I don't fish the waters that most of them cover. The ones that I do, I rarely see anyone else fishing them no matter what tackle they employ. YMMV. But my standards are far from standard.

Myself I'm not affected by the gear restrictions either. But I still don't like unnecessary gear restrictions.

Banning bait is acceptable and logical.

Banning a few more hooks which inhibits some people's preferences on fishing however is debatable.

I wouldn't join any petition telling people how they can't fish; it's why I'm disappointed in the first place.

Bottom line is that any form of fishing is not going to be 100% unharmful. Heck you can ban just looking at the fish since you could argue "you're spooking them and making them stressed!"

Obviously it's a balance between what anglers want and what is best for the fish.

I think this new gear restriction is too far on the side of the fish and too illogically away from the anglers' side.

That's personally my thoughts and maybe I could convince you, since I get the feeling you're neutral about the topic.

[Drossi]

Originally Posted by thmyorke1

since I get the feeling you're neutral about the topic.

I am ambivalent about it. It doesn't really effect me cause I choose to fish a certain way (fly) out of preference not due to some snotty assed elite mentality. I spent a lot of years spin fishing with bait I was good at it. My dad was really good at it. Spinning gear doesn't bother me, I'll break it out when the situation warrants I was never a big lure guy though which is ironic since I am a big streamer user, which is a cousin of the lure.

[thmyorke1]

Originally Posted by Drossi

I am ambivalent about it. It doesn't really effect me cause I choose to fish a certain way (fly) out of preference not due to some snotty assed elite mentality. I spent a lot of years spin fishing with bait I was good at it. My dad was really good at it. Spinning gear doesn't bother me, I'll break it out when the situation warrants I was never a big lure guy though which is ironic since I am a big streamer user, which is a cousin of the lure.

Good to hear. Always nice to see anglers that prefer fly that also don't outright trash spinning practices.

Anyways thanks for listening to our side.